Portable implement for use in connection with the wiping and polishing of plane surfaces



June 29, 1954 E. T. LINDEROTH 2,682,071 PORTABLE IMPLEMENT FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH THE WIPING AND POLISHING OF PLANE SURFACES Filed 001:. 5, 1948 MX 9.- Ha

Patented June 29, 1954 PORTABLE IMPLEMENT FOR USE IN CON- NECTION WITH THE WIPIN G AND POLISH- ING OF PLANE SURFACES Erik Torvald Linderoth, Stockholm,

Sweden Application October 5, 1948, Serial No. 52,848

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to an implement for use in connection with the wiping and polishing of smooth surfaces, for instance linoleum and floors, said implement consisting of a suction foot of air tight elastic material, and the invention is characterized by the suction foot being provided with an automatically operating valve opening by an increase in pressure within the suction foot as caused by the suction foot being pressed down against the surface, which is to be treated, but closing for a partial vacuum.

As a result, the suction foot and a polishing cloth, which may be placed under said foot, are automatically pressed against the surface to be treated with a force, which is proportional to the pressure within the suction foot.

In this manner the work is greatly facilitated, as for instance, in polishing smooth surfaces by hand the force with which the polishing cloth is pressed against the surface is many times greater than the force required for moving the cloth back and forth.

By means of the invention the suction foot will operate as a pump, which automatically main tains the desired partial vacuum inside the suction foot when it is reciprocated across the surface, which is to be treated. If for instance this surface is a floor and the suction foot is reciprocated over the floor by means of a handle long enough to allow an upright working position, pressure will be applied to the suction foot when the foot is pushed away from the operator. The friction is always greater at rest than when the suction foot is gliding. Hence, there will be a pressure on the suction foot at the same moment the operator begins pushing it away causing the suction foot to be somewhat compressed and a part of the air to be pressed out through the valve. When the suction foot then is set in motion the pressure from the handle will be reduced, but this will be compensated by the decrease in pressure produced by the expansion of the suction foot. When the handle is drawn towards the operator, the handle has a lifting action on the suction foot. The pressure against the floor, however, is not reduced on account of said lifting action resulting in a decrease of pressure in the suction foot. Consequently, the implement is double-acting, as substantially the same pressure against the floor is obtained whether it is being pushed away from, or drawn towards the operator. The apparatus may be so dimensioned that the greatest pressure is obtained when the handle is drawn towards the operator, as this may be an advantage with repressed spect to the operator having greater strength in his arms in pulling than in pushing.

An implement according to the invention has proved to be suitable for polishing parquet floors as well as for wiping linoleum and smooth floors.

In treating floors with wax polish the imple-, ment may be used for cleaning the floor with a Wax solvent, distributing the wax and polishing. The dusting of a floor with an implement according to the invention is exceedingly effective on account of the suction action binding the dust to a dry cloth almost as well as to a wet one. Dry dusting may thus to a great extent be substituted for washing of the floors.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 is a sectional View of the implement when. not subjected to any pressure.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the implement when against a surface to be treated, and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2.

l designates a casing of soft rubber or some other elastic material forming a suction foot. Fig. 1 shows the shape of the suction foot in its inactive position, that is, when not compressed. The foot may have the shape of either a cone or a pyramid or preferably a hybrid of these two shapes and is referred to as being substantially cone-shaped. The top angle of the foot should and 150 which gives the greatest pumplng action. In order to ensure the proper performance of the apparatus it is very important that the thickness of the side walls of the suction foot decreases towards the base edges of the walls and that the side walls meet the floor at an acute angle.

Fig. 2 shows the shape of the suction foot after it has been compressed and Fig. 3 is a top view of the suction foot showing its square shape, which is preferable with respect to its fitting square polishing cloths.

In the central part of the suction foot there are four holes 2, which on the upper side of the vacuum in the suction foot. suction foot there is provided a holder consisting of a cup-shaped substantially circular top part 5 and a corresponding cup-shaped bottom part 6 disposed on the upper and lower side respectively of the suction foot. These cup-shaped parts are penetrating through through the center of the suction foot. The top part 5 is provided with two spaced upwardly projecting flanges between which a handle 4 is pivotally mounted by means of a pivot pin ll, said handle serving to move the implement along the floor to be treated.

In Fig. 2, 8 designates the polishing cloth and 9 the floor against which the cloth is pressed by the suction -foot.

Having now particularly described the nature of my invention and the manner of its operation what I claim is:

l. A portable manually operable implement for,

use in connection with the wiping and polishing of plane surfaces comprising a hollow substantially cone-shaped suction foot made of airtight flexible material and having side walls outwardly inclined from a narrow apex toward a wideba the said side walls being substantially flat in the inactive position of the implement and forming an acute angle with a plane surface upon which therfootis placed, the thickness of the side walls decreasing from the apex toward the base, the said foot being open at its base and the :base edgesof the walls being in .the same plane. so .as. to cause .an outward bending of the side walls for gradually increasing the area .of the inner surfaces .of said walls engaging the plane surface upon which the suction foot is placed when the foot is flattened toward the said plane surface, a handle bar pivoted to the apex portion of said suction foot, and one way valve means mounted onthe side walls of "the foot and communicating with the air space enclosed by the suction foot, said valve means being arranged to open automatically in response to the aforesaid flattening of the foot causing a reduction of the'air'spaceenclosed by the foot and hence an increase in pressure in the said space, and to close automatically in response to a lifting of the foot while remaining in contact with the said plane surface thereby causing an increase of the said air space for reducing the air pressure in the said space whereby the foot is firmly held against the plane surface to be treated.

,2-. nn'implement as defined inclaim *1, wherein the-apex angle of said substantially cone-shaped suction foot is at least 3. An implement according to claim 1, wherein the said-oneway .valve means comprise valve flaps mounted on the upper surface of the side walls of the suction foot, the said flaps coacting with holes formed in said side walls so as to seal said holes in response to a decrease in pressure in the loot and to uncover the holes in response to an increase of pressure in the foot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 46;,99'7 Howell Feb. 23, 1935 674,197 Cooper May 14, 1901 952,495 Austin Mar. 22, "1910 1,025,800 Fuller May 'I, 1912 1,064,331 Iglehart June 10, 1913 1,098,937 'Buck 1 June 2,1914 1,711,422 Mogk Apr. '30, '1924 l;794,9'l4 McCauley Mar. 3, "1931 1,991,693 Oberti Feb. '19, 1935 2,304,127 Stetson Dec. 8, 1942 2,341,129 Lundgren et a1. Feb. 15 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 324,984 Italy Feb. 23, 1935 

